South Mande Reconstruction: Initial consonants1 - Langues mandé ...

*bùò wake up-2 > Dan (bl) b vi, Mano ZE vùò, Guro # vùò vi wakeup; vt wake smb. up, Yaure HB fù, impf. fȕ-a vi wake up; vt wake smb. up,Gban ST òa, Wan # ba-ga, Mwan bwè.To this series can also be attributed two other sets where Mano forms(Mano is the only language where the transformation *b- > v- under theconditions in question seems to be regular) are absent:*b carry > Dan (bl) b vt carry; support, Dan (gw) b vt accomodate(guest), Tura # bṹ vt suport (physically, e. g. an old person when walking),Gban ST , Beng # b vt carry; bring up, educate*b end-2 > Dan (bl, gw) bō vi stop; finish, terminate (sth. – k); deliveroneself of (excrement); get better; vt cure, Tura # bó vi finish, terminate (sth. –ɓ, --gerund), Guro # v, hab. vō vi remain; vt leave, Yaure HB f vi remain,Gban ST ò v finish, Wan # bò vi remain; finish; vt leave, Mwan bō leave.It is highly probable that the set 'flower' also belongs to this series:*b flower > Dan (bl) b, Dan (gw) b, Dan (kl) b rn flower; viblossom, Tura # b, Mano ZE b, Guro # vū n flower; eyelash; ear (of corn,etc.); animal's tail, Yaure MB fi, Mwan b, Beng # vṹb- in the Mano form can be explained by the loss of -u- in the positionafter the consonant, which prevented the latter from the change *b- > v-. InBeng the vowel was retained and the consonantal change took place.There is one set which contradicts the established rules: we have v- inWan, although it is not followed by a labial vowel, and the foot structureof the proto-stem is CVlV. In the meantime, there is no change *b- > v- inBeng:*bùlŋ (?) porcupine-3 Dan (bl) bl, bl, bl, Dan (gw) bl nporcupine; (bl) African brush-tailed porcupine, Mano MB vulu, Guro # vùlú,Yaure MB furu, Gban ST lű, Wan # vl, Mwan vl rat (?), Beng bl n bigporcupineThis probably means that the rule of change should be modified inWan, or that the Wan form has undergone some intermediate stages(*bùlŋ > *vùlŋ > vl).Finally, the same pattern partially agrees with yet another set:*b plural marker-2 > Dan b fossilized plural marker in several words,Tura # bȍ, Mano VV v, Mwan # mū plural marker, mú they, Wan # muThe nasalization in Mwan and Wan which also led to the irregularchange *b- > m- should be attributed to the grammatical character of thelexeme.